Rabbi Eskolsky wrote only one full length sefer – Taryag Mitzvos vol. 1 (1926) containing the first 13 mitzvos of Sefer HaMitzvos of the Rambam. The portion that he wrote of Sefer HaBris (1915) was really the length of an article. According to the hakdama of Taryag Mitzvos, he had 20 years of notebooks full of his shiurim on ALL of the 613 mitzvos and they were only waiting to be printed. He passed away before he could release a vol. 2. A cousin of mine has two mitzvos (tzitzis and mezuza) in typeset form that were slated for vol. 2. Unfortunately, I have not as of yet been able to track down any relevant kisvei yad for Taryag Mitzvos.

It seems that Rabbi Eskolsky did serve as editor of two other books (not really “seforim”). Ezras Torah published Sefer HaZikaron (1919) and Zichron B’Sefer (1922). In his role as mazkir of Ezras Torah he wrote the hakdamos and sofei davar to these two books. His words there imply that he was the editor of these books.

Rav Eskolsky served as a rav in Europe for a few years (first in Rublie and then in Kazhan-Hardok) at the turn of the last century. He then came to the USA in late 1906 and became the Rav of the Beis Midrash HaGadol (aka the Penn Avenue shul) in Scranton, PA. Afterwards (around 1909 or 1910) he became the Rav of the Slutzker shul on Pike street in the lower east side of NY. In 1918, he became the Rav of the Bialystoker shul on Willet Street in the lower east side.

He was also a co-founder of the Ezras Torah fund in 1915 and served as its first mazkir until about 1925. In 1926 He founded the Degel HaRabbanim organization and would serve as its leader.

Rav Eskolsky’s paternal grandmother was a sister of Rav Meir Myrim Shafit (mechaber of Sefer Nir on the Yerushalmi). This is stated in R. Shmuel Noach Gottlieb’s Oholei Shem and in R. Benzion Eisenstadt’s Doros HaAcharonim in their entries on R. Eskolsky. Additionally an older brother of R. Eskolsky, (Meir) Myrim Eskolsky, was named after R. Shafit according to an article by Zalman Shazar in Sefer Mir (the Mir yizkor book). Rav Avraham Aharon Yudelovitch’s mother Sasha was also a sister of R. Shafit. This made R. Yudelovitch a first cousin of R. Eskolsky’s father Dov Ber. There are a couple of instances in R. Yudelovitch’s Beis Av that refer to R. Eskolsky as She’er Besari which indicate a familial relationship. Additionally I have a copy of a letter written by R. Eskolsky to R. Yudelovitch which refers to the latter in the same way. Also the same phrasing appears on a personal semicha given by R. Yudelovitch in the late 1920s to R. Eskolsky’s son Rabbi Mitchel Eskolsky.

In this way it can easily be understood how Rabbis Eskolsky and Yudelovitch were involved together with various endeavors over the years eg. HaMitzpe, Agudas HaRabbanim V’haMatifim, Degel HaRabbanim, etc.

It can also be understood how it was fitting that R. Eskolsky was the head of the American organization that raised funds for Yeshivas Ohr Torah of Teveria, the first yeshiva for Slonimer Chassidim ever created. That yeshiva’s original menahel was Rav Mattes Sandberg who married a daughter of R. Meir Myrim Shafit. It also probably didn’t hurt that R. Eskolsky was born to a family of staunch Slonimer Chassidim and that R. Eskolsky had significant personal contact with Rav Shmuel Weinberg (the second Slonimer rebbe) while learning in the famed misnagdishe yeshiva in Slonim.

R. Eskolsky was also related to Rav Menachem Risikoff who also appears on this site. While the existence of the relation is well documented, the living descendants on each side of the family have yet to figure out the exact relation as of this writing.

Rabbi Tabak z”l grew up as a Belzer chassid and was a descendant of the Sar Shalom of Belz.

He married Rav Yaakov Eskolsky z”l’s fourth child Lilian (Leah) in the Spring of 1931 a few months after R. Eskolsky passed away. They had been engaged while R. Eskolsky was still alive. In early 1931, R. Tabak succeeded his brother-in-law and RIETS classmate Rabbi Mitchel Eskolsky z”l at Shaarei Zion in Baltimore as the younger R. Eskolsky was selected to replace his father at the Bilaystoker shul in NYC. R. Tabak served at Shaarei Zion until 1976 when he retired and moved to Yerushalayim. He also served as the president of the RCA from 1948 to 1950.

In 1988, he published an autobiography called “Three Worlds” which also contains an appendix with a short bio on his father in law.

In “Three Worlds” it says that R. Tabak’s father was a descendant of the Sar Sholom, but it doesn’t mention the exact lineage. I e-mailed my cousin a link to this page so perhaps he will provide that info.

(see the Note section at the top of this page) He was originally buried right next to his father. There is a matzeiva there that says that his kever was moved to Yerushalayim on ו’ אלול, תשל”ב. Not sure whether to הר הזיתים or הר המנוחות. This was around the time that his wife Mildred passed away.

Reb YD – I got some answers from my cousin Yacov Tabak who is a son of R. Israel Tabak.

The Sar Sholom’s bechor was Rav Elazar Rokeach. Among R. Elazar’s several daughters were Sarah Devorah and Malka.

Now lets work backwards…..

Rabbi Tabak’s parents were Rav David Tabak of Czernowitz and Tzirl Pesi Tabak (nee Wahrman). They were second cousins. One of them was the grandchild of Sarah Devorah and the other one was the grandchild of Malka but my cousin is not 100% sure which one descended from which.

Also, I was informed that R. Mitchel Eskolsky was reinterred at Har HaMenuchos.

Here is a picture of the kever of Rabbi Eskolsky’s daughter, Lilian Tabak, who passed away on the 4th night of Chanuka 5715. She was the first wife of Rabbi Israel Tabak. She is buried in the Shaarei Zion Cemetery in Rosedale, MD near Baltimore:https://goo.gl/photos/PL7jtZbgh9hLPrwQ7

hakosev: He was born in 1911 in mezhbuzh ukrain to his father Rabbi Chaim Bick Rov of Mezhbuzh. When he was only 14...

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